


Night of the Broken Sky

by AikoIsari



Series: Solar Eclipse [3]
Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure
Genre: Age Swap, Childhood Memories, Children, Family Feels, Friendship, Gen, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-17
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-02-25 19:21:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 6,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2633333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AikoIsari/pseuds/AikoIsari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Digimon Adventure -Pilot-) Up until last night, Hikari had rather... liked being normal, as normal as things got for them. Then her brother found the giant egg. And it did not hatch into a chicken. Just so you know.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I probably shouldn't post this yet, but... at this point, it's five shorts in and I'm tired and I think this will be a fun little fic. This is another Light of the Sun fic, though you don't need to know the series in order to get this one. This is what takes place during the little pilot movie section, so... yay! If you are a newbie to the Lightverse (I'm so sorry if this is your first look.) just know Hikari and Taichi's ages are 's literally the only change at this point. No spoilers guys.
> 
> Warning: there is mention of a drunken character. This was movie canon, so I played around with it. It was not confirmed or jossed in the series so I am going with the fact that it was there. Finally, usual Digimon warnings.
> 
> All righty, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Please review, if you feel so inclined. Or do it for chibi-Taichi. Either one.

1.

Not for the first time that week, Hikari wakes to the sound of the front door slamming shut. Seconds after, her father's voice, drunkenly sweet, warbles through the small apartment. She opens her eyes and turns herself on her side, listening to the footsteps in their living room. She almost rolls over again, but the plodding grows closer.

She rolls again, crawling to the ladder (she won't let her little brother sleep on the top bunk, he was four and tripped getting off the bed already!) and climbing down. She looks to see the mass of hair that her little brother just magically  _has_  and sees his face relaxed in sleep. Then she plods over to the doorknob and holds it shut before it can turn.

It hurts to stand on her tiptoes, but when her father's voice grows louder and louder as he calls the names of his children, Hikari knows she is doing the right thing.

It still hurts, hearing the little sad notes in his voice as he tugs fruitlessly over and over again. She tightens her grip on the knob anyway.

"Sorry Dad," she says, knowing he can't hear it, knowing he's just trying to be a good father and love them.

But it's three in the morning, and they can be loved when he wakes up later not smelling like the adult juice and work sweat.

That is what Mom tells her, not expecting her to understand but Taichi understands and if he does then she does. She makes herself

It's just a little longer, until they have the nicer apartment and the better job and Papa's friends stop making him so angry with what they have.

Hikari can't help but wish 'a little longer' was 'right now'.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

"Papa home?"

Hikari waits until her father's voice is then accompanied by their mother's wide-awake and disappointed whisper, before turning to her bleary-eyed brother. Taichi is rubbing one eye, baby blue blanket in the other.

"Yeah," she says, relaxing her grip on the doorknob as their father is distracted by hushed scolding and irritated mutters. "He wake you up?"

Taichi shakes his head. "Toilet..."

Hikari almost sighs. Her baby brother would have to go to the bathroom  _now_ , wouldn't he? She puts a finger to her lips and peers through the keyhole to the living room outside. The lights aren't on and there's no big shape of her father or mother standing in the middle of the room. So she turns the knob and creaks the door open.

No response.

She turns and grins triumph at her brother, going over to him and taking his hand. He looks like wants to pull away, because he can walk, he's not a baby, but he's too sleepy to do it. So she leads him to the bathroom, standing outside in case their parents hear.

And, now that she thinks about it, she needs to go too.

Except when she gets out, her brother is not waiting by the door. Their father's study door is ajar.

This time, she can't stop the groan in her throat.  _Taichi..._


	3. Chapter 3

3.

She heads to the room, and as she steps closer, a sound like many cricket chirps touches her ears. It grows louder and louder and she can't step back when it almost becomes unbearable. When she opens the door, her brother is staring, head tilted, at their father's computer monitor. It's on, which is strange because Dad had just complained this morning that it was 'doing weird stuff' like  _not_ turning on.

Hikari touches the whistle on her neck and then steps closer.

Her brother is fascinated by whatever's on screen and when she reaches him, she almost falls over. Had their dad downloaded something bad from his job? The screen had so many red numbers; it looked like their cousin's tests for math class!

The numbers begin to move, something she doesn't remember numbers doing without people moving them themselves. As they move, the chirping swells in her ears and Hikari claps her hands over them. She still hears it and screws her eyes shut until her brother is leaning back.

The screen is  _moving_.

Hikari is barely older than her brother, but she knows screens have something wrong with them when they bulge like that, like they're supposed to melt or something. The thing made of numbers is growing closer to them and Hikari pulls Taichi to her until, with a 'pop!' it's out and sitting innocently on the carpet.

The whole room is now perfectly quiet.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

"No crack," Taichi says after a moment. Hikari keeps her hand on his shoulder as the strange thing quivers and shifts around until it is like a paperweight with spots on it.

Hikari peers at it, then moves forward. "Be ready to get Mom and Dad, Taichi."

"Un."

In other words, he needs to be ready to scream his little lungs out.

She totters over to it on tiny feet. The cricket noise is quieter, almost like bees in her ear (ew). The egg doesn't move now, sitting up all innocent on the floor. Hikari stares at it for a moment, expecting... well, she didn't know. Then she pokes it with a finger.

And pokes it again.

Nothing.

She puts her hand on it, then knocks her fist on it as gently as she can. It's tough, like seashells. There are weird splotches on it, pink like when Dad makes Mom laugh. But it's still tough, and cold. She picks it up and there is no noise.

"Egg," Taichi says, thumb in his mouth. Hikari blinks. "Poor chicken," he adds, and this makes her giggle.

So they have a computer egg.

"Let's go back to bed," she says.

This is too much thinking in one night.

The buzzing is still in her ears too.


	5. Chapter 5

5.

When Hikari wakes the next morning, the first thing she does is peer at the lower bunk. She smiles. Taichi hasn't crushed the egg yet. She sits up and stares at the ceiling. "What are we gonna do with a giant egg?" She can't cook it, how do you even crack an egg that big?

She supposes she can let Taichi cuddle up to it for a while. If he comes back with yolk down his front, she can't help him though.

When she leaves her room, her father has the newspaper up and is rubbing his eyes. He smiles sleepily and yawns at her by way of morning greeting. Her mother tuts from the stove and she thinks to tell them what had happened the night before. Then she pauses and remembers when her invisible friend (who of course had no name) broke the play button on the VCR and blamed it on Miko. (To be fair, it had been Taichi who had done that, but she had fallen asleep watching over him, so it  _was_ technically her fault). So saying her brother had a new stuffed animal (egg) from a giant computer chicken was probably out of the question.

"Hikari, is your brother still asleep?" Her mother asks, putting toast on a plate.

"Like a bat," Hikari replies, busying herself with climbing onto the chair. She hates being short sometimes.

Dad chuckles. "He'll wake up at the smell of food."

"Like you and coffee?" Mom says without any real venom. Hikari still ducks her head, pretending to be entranced in Miko's purring at her ankle.

Mom is still upset.

Perhaps Dad is aware, even through the 'adult juice headache' and the newspaper hiding his face, but he doesn't say anything until food is on the table.

Hikari decides to say nothing at all, and wait for Taichi to wake up.

Only toddlers can clear the awkward air in any room.


	6. Chapter 6

6.

Eventually, her parents leave, with Taichi in his high chair drinking milk and stabbing his eggs with his fork. (He's four, he doesn't appreciate irony, not that Hikari knows what that is either. But she's heard her parents say it before!) Hikari pokes the uncooked egg, Taichi successfully having stashed it under his chair. It shivers. Do eggs do that? Is it cold? She pokes it again and it rolls away from her.

"Taichi, our cyber chicken has an active baby." She moves to chase it.

Taichi puts his forkful of eggs down. "Moved?"

"Yep."

Taichi thinks about this as the egg rolls towards the living room, then begins the effort to climb down the high chair. Hikari watches the egg until he gets to the ground and then they chase after it. "It's a fast egg!" Taichi shouts, chasing it in a running waddle.

Hikari takes half a second to think that she was never telling her parents about this before following him. He was trying to corner it around the couch but it rolls away. She imagines if it had a mouth, it would be sticking out its tongue. How rude!

But Taichi doesn't care. In fact, he's beaming, big brilliant grin and almost rolling himself into their bedroom. The egg sits in the middle of the floor (she doesn't care that eggs don't have butts, it is  _sitting_!) and quivers, shivering as though it's cold. Taichi pulls his blanket from the bed and attempts to place it around the shifting thing, but then it cracks and he yelps, jumping backwards and pulling close to his sister.

The egg cracks again and the top half begins to lift, and all Hikari can think is that that is not a chicken.

It's cute, but it is  _not_ a chicken.


	7. Chapter 7

7.

What throws off the egg shell is a black blob. With ears. It looks like a pillow.

"Bota," Taichi says, pointing at it. Hikari blinks. "Bota Monster."

It doesn't take that very well, and rams into Taichi's chest and sends him tottering back on his butt. Taichi plops on the floor and stares, wide-eyes and befuddlement. Then his little face scrunches.

Oh no. Hikari makes to grab his collar-

But Taichi screeches like Miko during a bath and throws himself at it. Its amber eyes widen and that's all it manages before it's hit by all the wrath of a hyperactive, unhappy four year old. It makes a noise of alarm as they roll around on the toy-covered floor. Hikari watches, hands raised, trying to figure out how to pull one of them away from the other.

Nothing comes to mind except throwing Miko at them... which works, sending the black blob into Hikari's arms and Taichi cowering on the bed. He's whimpering, cheeks with tiny red streaks. Hikari plops the bruised blob to the ground and goes to get a cloth.

"Not crying," he sniffles as Hikari dabs the scratches.

"Not at all," she agrees, watching Miko purr from the dresser, pleased with herself. The blob blinks its big eyes at her and Hikari tilts her head at it in return. Then it takes a deep breath, puffing up... and blows bubbles in her face.

Wiping the soapy froth from her face, she glares at it the best she can. "That is  _not_ how you ask for things."

"You use please," Taichi adds, looking thoroughly put-out.

"Boooo~" it says in reply, blowing bubbles again.


	8. Chapter 8

8.

Eventually, boy and blob are sitting on the bed, clumsily bandaged. Taichi is playing with the creature's ears. It doesn't seem to be making it like him any more but Taichi is Taichi and doesn't really care. At least they're not trying to kill each other again.

Hikari sits on the floor, staring at him. "Bota?" It looks at her and Hikari takes that as a good sign. "Are you hungry?"

It doesn't know what she means but Hikari shrugs and goes to get the chocolate. When in doubt, sugar will always get someone's attention.

She can always throw Miko again if that works, though the cat probably won't like that.

She returns with the chocolate and puts it on the floor. Taichi looks ready to jump off and snatch it himself, but Hikari shoots him a look. He pouts as Botamon bounces down (landing on his ears a couple of times) and sniffs the food. Then it pounces, like Miko for the rare mouse. Within seconds, there are only crumbs being lifted up like through a vacuum.

"We," Hikari decides. "Are going to need more food."

Can I have chocolate too?" Taichi pleads.

Hikari groans. "One piece. No more broken vases. Or lamps. Or the VCR."

"Soccer ball's fault!"

Hikari pinches her nose and heads back to the kitchen. Oh, Taichi.  _You kicked the soccer ball..._

On her way back, the phone rings. She hesitates, but hearing no shouting and noise from their room, goes to answer it. "Yagami residence."

"Hikari-chan?" The voice from the phone is vaguely familiar. "This is Takenouchi from a few blocks down."

Oh. "Toshiko-san?" She probably shouldn't call Sora's mother by her first name but that will probably help confirm who she is talking to.

"Yes, is Sora over there?"

Hikari pauses to check if someone is at the door. "Um... no... is she supposed to be coming over here?" Considering her weird reaction to Valentine's Day, she isn't sure why she would be here.

"Well, she went running off again and there's no soccer practice today, so I wondered..."

Hikari scratches her head. They must have had a fight; her mother sounds so sad. How weird...

"I haven't seen her today, but I'll tell her to go home if she comes here."

"I'm sorry about all of this..."

Hikari nods and smiles. "It's okay, Taichi likes Sora!"

She can envision the woman's smile a little. "Thank you so much, Hikari-chan. You and Taichi-kun take care now."

"Thank you!"

She puts down the receiver and prepares to pick up the snacks, but then the phone rings again. The second time, there is this horrible screeching noise and the television flickers on and off. She glances at the VCR.

"Those don't look like numbers..."

Then Taichi shrieks and runs out of the bedroom. "Bota's not black anymore!" His little fists are raised to fight but his expression looks so confused and worried that she doubts that's happening. "Bota's sick! Has to be sick!"

"Not sick!" shouts a raspy voice from their room.

Hikari blinks as a pink blob jumps out of their bedroom. It looks at the snacks on the ground. "Can I have that?" it asks.

Hikari stares and nods slowly.

As its eyes practically explode from its head from happiness, Hikari can't help but think this just got really bad.


	9. Chapter 9

9.

"I'm Koromon."

Cause that means something.

Taichi has calmed down, and is sitting near Hikari's feet, watching the pink Digimon practically eat the wrapper the snacks came in. Now he knows how she feels watching him at dinner. Poor kid looks nauseous.

"I'm Taichi," her brother says like he is imparting great wisdom. "This is Nee-chan."

Full sentences. Taichi must like this critter. He usually only uses full sentences for  _her_.

Hikari isn't sure how to feel about that. "Hikari" she corrects instead because it's better than confusing the creature. Then again, it can talk, so maybe it's not that easy to confuse.

"Taichi," it repeats, red eyes huge and framed by chocolate and crumbs. "Hikari." It pauses for a moment. "Thanks for the food."

Hikari has to scramble aside to avoid the tackling launch of pink blob to face but Taichi isn't so lucky. Her brother goes stock-still and she works to yank the heavy creature off his head.

"Was just bein' friendly," it sulks after.

Taichi wipes spit from his face. "Friends are slobbery."

"Why we don't have a dog," Hikari murmurs.

Koromon bounces to her. "Don't be mean!" His voice is higher than before and brighter, like the longer he looks at her, the more he likes her. She hasn't seen someone look at her like that since Taichi and it makes her squirm with discomfort, toes suddenly cold.

Then she hears the sound of jingling keys and her eyes widen.

"Taichi! Room!"

Taichi thankfully knows what that means and grabs Koromon by the feeler... ear... thingies and runs to their bedroom.

By the time their mother opens the door, the room is clean like before and Hikari can easily blame the crumbs on Miko. Her mother won't know any better.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the delay on this. I didn't get the time to get ahead like I wanted to so yeah. XD Whoops. Anyway, this fic is really at or over its halfway point, if the super long chapter didn't prove that earlier. Now, instead of babbling, thank you my loyal reviewers, Capp, Guest, and new friend yamiyugi, as well as anyone I've missed! On with the show!
> 
> Shameless plug: If you are reading this, and are an old hand at the Lightverse, please check out Sightless. (if not, go read the Lightverse, otherwise the eventual ending won't make sense.) It's a bit of an odd start but I guarantee you, there is plenty of fun that will be had. It will also be updated when I get back from dinner, so... yeah. Please read and review my friends! You are why these stories continue!

10.

Hikari can't sleep that night. She tosses and turns with the feeling of electric static in her skin and eventually sits up. She's still too short to hit her head on the ceiling, lucky her. She climbs from the bed and glances at her brother's bed. He's deeply asleep and Koromon with him. Though... is it her imagination, or is Koromon shivering?

She shakes her head and heads to the bathroom. He's probably just having a nightmare.

After her trip to the toilet, she rolls herself onto the couch. The house is quiet and her mother's door is closed. But there is a tiny streak of light visible beneath the door. Seeing it, she lets out a tiny sigh.

"Again... huh?"

Hearing herself, Hikari slaps her cheeks. She sounds all miserable and old. Ew.

But... Dad wasn't home again. And Mom would wait up for him like always and keep him away from their room. What was she afraid of, that she told Hikari to lock the door every night he took too long with his friends?

"Sometimes, Hikari, your father forgets."

Forgets? Forgets what? She wishes her mother had been specific when she said that. Or something. It was probably another one of those moments where she thinks Hikari can't handle the whole truth because she's just too young.

Then why say anything at all?

She ponders this, not even noticing herself drifting off until Taichi's tiny hand is shaking her awake again.

"Koromon," he says and for some reason, Hikari feels her heart chill with dread.


	11. 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I had some computer trouble and this chapter got deleted and it took me a while to sit down and finish it. That said, it is done! And I make no apologies for this chapter either. Please read and review! If possible of course.

11.

When they reach the bedroom, their whole bunk is shaking. It sounds like a trembling block tower., only louder. Where is Mom? Taichi's steps are faster and he's jumping back on the bed next to a lump under bright yellow covers that can only be Koromon, shuddering and all things uncomfortable.

"Sick," Taichi says and Hikari has to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She doesn't think a vet can fix a blob monster from a giant egg.

Hikari moves closer, taking tentative steps where her brother takes large ones. Their Koromon, yes theirs, he's in pain, shaking, mouth open and frozen, big eyes even bigger and pure white, like clean plates.

"Koromon," Hikari tries and his feeler ears stand on end, lifting the blankets like tent poles. Taichi moves closer to him and an impulse drags her to yank him away. He almost yelps but she gives him a stern frown and plops him on the ground, now taking a cautious shuffle towards him herself. Her brother's safety comes first!

She hears a screeching noise, like Miko is somehow caught in the VCR and a sleepy voice moments later. "Taichi? Hikari?"

Hikari winces as she turns to look. "Taichi, stall her, stall, stall!"

But Taichi doesn't. His eyes are fixed on the bed, wide. Hikari turns back and her breath freezes in her lungs.

The small lump in their bed has begun to grow, expanding like bread swells in the oven. The blanket rises with the screeching noise and Hikari claps her hands over her ears and totters back. The buzzing has started, a high wail in the depths of her eardrums.

Their bed splinters and their mother's voice shakes. "Taichi? Hikari!" Well, she's up now.

They can't look, if they turn they won't see and then they won't believe. All Hikari manages to do is watch. Their bed shatters like a bunch of toothpicks and marshmellows and before their eyes is a large yellow dinosaur. It blinks green eyes at the room at large, raising giant claws in a motion like a stretch. Hikari pulls Taichi from being hit by a piece of bed. However, as Agumon stomps towards their balcony, Taichi goes to follow.

"So... cool..." he whispers and before she can stop him, he clambers onto what was once Koromon and they are gone, the dinosaur breaking the glass and leaping into the night.

And perhaps it's just because everything is so terrifying, Hikari runs after them and does the same.


	12. Chapter 12

12.

She doesn't experience this fall for very long, not long enough to realize she did something wrong. Because someone catches her and they're laughing, laughing like their parents laugh during a really dumb song.

"Hello there, little lady," they say, grinning. Their hair is an unusual shade of orange and they don't seem to care at all that they're dangling in the air. "How'd you manage to get yourself dropping like a parachute?"

"Jumped."

She gets a wider, all teeth smile. "Hehe, kinda guessed that but why did ya jump? Yer too cute for dyin'."

Hikari looks down, sees a smashed car and the last point of a yellow tail. She points. "A dinosaur took my brother." Okay, so that's not entirely accurate but if it will get this guy to get her to the ground instead of flying, she'll say just about anything.

"A dinosaur?" They are flying lower and it suddenly occurs to Hikari that maybe she should ask how they're flying. "Sounds cool! I'm in!"

Hikari isn't sure if him telling her that is a good thing or not. "Um... who are you?"

The boy reminds her of Miko at breakfast the way he smiles. "Just call me your friendly, neighborhood meddler. Now, come on, let's go, let's go!" He takes her hand and practically pulls her off the ground and to his shoulders. "Point me!"

Hikari hesitates, but does and soon they are following a trail of broken glass and some overturned metal things.

She wonders if her mother is mad at her.

She wonders even more how this person flew.

What Hikari doesn't wonder about is why the hairs on the back of her neck are standing up.


	13. 13

13.

The boy still hasn't said his name, but he's running after Taichi and Hikari figures that's probably all she can ask for. He keeps smiling. "Onii-chan, are you used to chasing after dinosaurs?"

The boy thinks about this and shrugs. "I guess so. Usually the dinosaurs looking like that are a bit smaller. I'm Tatsuya, by the way. I'm sure you're making up weird nicknames in your head right now."

She isn't actually, but her eyes widen at the fact that he actually responded with something like a yes. "Really?"

"Yep!" Tatsuya pauses and looks up at the sky. "Me and my trusty buddy... who has up and flown off somewhere now. He's kinda shy, but we'll see him later!"

"Is he like Koromon?"

He jumps around a pole and nods. "He's a bit smaller than your giant dinosaur but yeah. He glances at his pocket and keeps running. "What were you feeding him anyway?"

"Um..." Hikari thinks. "Chocolate."

"That'd probably do it," Tatsuya thinks aloud.

Hikari has no idea what this means, but her grip tightens on his shirt. "Taichi..." It was her job to protect him, she needed to get to him. She wants to scream for him, and hope he'll hear and get off the giant dinosaur that was their friend and wait for her because little brothers were  _supposed_ to listen to their big sisters.

Then again, it is Taichi.

The thought isn't comforting.

"Don't worry, he's gonna be okay.

Hikari blinks and Tatsuya shrugs. "There's no blood anywhere, or tattered clothes, so far. I don't even think yer dinosaur knows he's there. He's probably having a fun adventure, is all. We'll find him aokay."

She wants to believe that when they reach a vending machine and find it crushed like a juice box. There's no sign of someone hurt, just fallen cans of stale soda and a distant smell of smoke.

"Taichi..." Hikari wishes she had longer legs to run with, hands that could grip things so she could force herself forward so fast she'd be a cheetah.

Then something in Tatsuya's pocket lets out a noise, a screeching, wailing sound so much like the VCR when Koromon got sick.

"Well," he says in a voice she knows adults use when they try to pretend everything is okay. "We may have a problem."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry for how late this came out. I couldn't use the internet on this site while helping my mom today. Anyway, as always, thank you all of you, for supporting me so far. Please read and review!

14.

Hikari almost asks what the problem is, but then she remembers what happens when she asks adults what's wrong: they lie. So she says instead, "We need to hurry?"

"A fair bit, dearie." The endearment is strange, and the word suddenly accented so much that Hikari almost can't make it out. "Look up."

Hikari obeys and blinks. "The sky looks weird," she says. "What is that?" The shape in the air is like the egg, and her ears are full of bees that grow even louder the longer she looks at it. Its silver shell seems unnatural, with black things that look like veins.

Black veins.  _Eww._

Tatsuya looks up to the sky. "DigiEgg," he says, which Hikari doesn't understand at all. "Digital Egg. Digimon Egg."

Hikari has no idea what a  _Digimon_  is and instead asks. "Do you think a chicken will come out of that one?"

Tatsuya laughs. "We'd better hope not. Because I don't think we have a big enough fire to roast it on." He stops running and lets out a sharp shriek of a whistle. Hikari jumps, almost falling from Tatsuya's grip as someone, or some _thing,_ rather, drops in front of them.

"Uh... Tsu, what happened to me 'staying outta sight of the pedestrians'?" The voice of the creature is quiet, shifty in nerves. Hikari thinks it's like having stage fright all of the time.

Tatsuya starts running again. "Nix that, buddy. We've got a giant dinosaur on the loose and whatever that thing in the egg is. Any ideas?"

"Uh..." Hikari blinks, seeing the creature come into view. It's like a human child, a wild, nervous-looking human child. It eyes her through a mane of unkempt orange hair, shifting from one large foot to another and says. "It's kinda opaque, Tsu. Can't say. Why are you carrying her?"

"What, do you want to do it?"

"N-Not particularly..."

Hikari would have felt hurt by all of this if she hadn't heard a loud, little boy shout. "Taichi," she says, nearly shouts, and this time, makes herself drop to the concrete and bolt. The sky around the corner lights up and there is a loud cracking noise from the middle of the sky.

"Ooh boy," Tatsuya says with a smile. "Everyone is gonna be  _mad_  at me."


	15. 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas Eve, all! And this is really starting to feel like it's going past 20. But I don't mind, it's so much fun. I know how it ends... just, just getting there, sigh.
> 
> To my reviewers, I'm trying to not say yes to the constant question even though the answer is probably a bit obvious... but yes, he is. XD Since a guest asked it, I thought I should reply to it publicly. Tatsuya is, in fact, who you say he is. Unfortunately, that fic is not coming out right away. Sorry about that!
> 
> So until then, please read and review and enjoy! Also, Taichi is an adorable dork!

15.

The sky cracks again. It's kind of like thunder, but the lightning is the sound of an egg shell breaking.

Hikari wonders if she'll even be able to  _eat_ eggs after this.

"Taichi!"

She sees his head turn and his eyes brighten. "Nee-chan!" he shouts. "Bus exploded!"

Hikari doesn't want to know. She just keeps running, looking at the giant dinosaur that was once (still is? Maybe?) Koromon and he's not even looking at her. He doesn't even seem to notice Taichi is there, so Taichi is able to slide down his back with a  _plop_  and jump over to the ground. Hikari reaches him and hugs him.

"Why'd you jump?" she says before she can stop herself, a little accusing.

"Why you jump?" he says right back.

Hikari feels sweat drip down her forehead. "Cause I'm your big sis, and leaving you behind is a bad thing."

"Ooh." Taichi ponders this for maybe a minute. "Nee-chan, Koromon made a bus go boom."

Hikari shivers, because she knows for Taichi it's probably not a big deal yet. Taichi doesn't probably know there was a person in that bus. He always sleeps through bus rides. "Has Koromon talked to you?"

Taichi shakes his head. "Koromon is sick?"

Hikari shakes her head. "I dunno..."

"Woo, he's huge..." Tatsuya reaches them and Taichi glares... though he's tiny so it's not that scary. "Hey, kiddo," Tatsuya says with a wave. "Got your sister here for ya. Is that the dino?"

Taichi instantly relaxes and nods, waving tiny fists. "Yeah! Koromon's my friend."

Something in Tatsuya's face goes very odd, Hikari notices, like a resigned sadness. "I hope so," he says, and looks up at the sky. The crack is spreading. "Cause that thing up there probably ain't."

The sky breaks entirely and what falls from it is a bird, green and yellow. It screams, the noise raw pain and a strange kind of joy. It drops lower and lower, blue eyes rolling around until it spots them.

"Nee-chan," Taichi mumbles, moving closer to her. "I don't like that chicken."

Hikari resists the urge to tell him it isn't a chicken this time either. "Me too."


	16. 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates on this! It's been busy with New Years and being sick, among other things. That said, here is the update! Thanks for all of the support so far! Happy New Year and please read and review!

16.

Tatsuya steps towards the bird. His steps are slow, like it's actually looking at him. Hikari can't see his face. "I guess, even now," he says with a small sigh. "You're still a bad egg, huh?" He rolls up one sleeve and pulls something from his pocket. "My job to cook ya then!" He lets out that whistle from before and the strange child jumps into view. He's staring, green eyes almost catlike, at the giant bird. He crouches, and the growling noises he makes are harsh and wild clicks.

Before he can move, Koromon runs forward, charging with his head bowed. Taichi blinks. "What that?"

Hikari winces. "Um... he's tackling it."

"Ooh..." Taichi pauses. "Go Koromon!" He punches the air and Hikari grabs his middle to keep him from going and joining in. She knows that he wants to, he usually does. He wriggles and squirms and she glowers.

"No, Taichi!" she scolds. "No fighting!"

"Koromon!" he yells.

Tatsuya glances at them and then back to the fight. "Flamon, give him a nice deck to the brain!"

"Y-Yessir!" Flamon lunged, leaping in quick, giant hops to jump from Koromon's head (Taichi squawks a protest and it goes ignored). He ends up soaring over Parrotmon's head, diving feet first.

Then lightning flashes, and Flamon screams.

Tatsuya winces. "Flamon?"

The screaming falls quiet too fast when there is a loud crash. Taichi stops yelling, brown eyes wide as the street cracks.

The bird shrieks.

"Flamon?" Tatsuya calls again. His voice is a little shaky now, matching his smile.

There's another shriek. Then a very loud snarl. Koromon stares, green only a ring around the pupils of his eyes.

Then Flamon says softly. "Get ready, Tatsuya."

Tatsuya grins, and this look is like Taichi when he is about to win. "I'm always ready."

Hikari tugs her limp brother's hand. "Onii-chan...?"

"Don't worry," Tatsuya snaps the goggles on his head. "I'm going to protect you. Just stay there, okay?"

Hikari wants to believe him. He's an adult, and he knows these monsters.

He reminds her of Taichi though. Is that a good thing?


	17. 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry guys, I'm not dead. I'm seriously not dead. Just busy. Real life is evil, can someone let me clock out for like: two more weeks? I'm willing to have class in May for that, really. Anyway, moving right along. I need to finish a Lunar update, so I'm just gonna shut up and run with this!

17.

Koromon seems not to care that someone just got hurt, rather he bolts forward again. This time, Taichi escapes Hikari's grip, moving as fast as he can.

"I'm gonna help," he declares. He's actually running now and Hikari doesn't even have time to groan.

"Taichi!" She bolts after him and Tatsuya sighs.

"I hope I wasn't this bad as a kid." He makes to follow them, when there's a tinkling noise from his back pocket. He frowns at it and plunges his hands down into the pocket of his jeans. The device sparkles and Tatsuya looks to see if somebody could be watching. But how could anybody? They were too fixated on the fight, had to be. He hoped.

He lifts it to his mouth. "Guys?"

"Holy crap, we got through."

"Don't sound so surprised Jem, I actually know what I'm doing with this."

"I wasn't sayin' that, pops... just... yeah, I'll shut up now."

"Good move, shouldn't have talked at all."

"...Shut up Belle."

"Don't call me a horse!"

All of this barely has to wash over Tatsuya's ears before he laughs. "You guys never change," he says, smiling a little more. He draws his gaze towards the fight, where the little girl is pulling at her brother's arms and fire strikes lightning in a howling flash of light. Smoke fogs the air and he almost drops the device in his hand and swears.

"Situation?"

"Bad," he says as quickly as possible, starting to move forward. He can feel Flamon dancing away from large feet more than he's actually dodging. "There's kids around and a couple giant Digimon wrecking city streets."

"Wait, you're  _back_?"

"Well, where else would I go, Jem?"

The girl grumbles and goes quiet, which gives Tatsuya a little warning before Flamon swoops in and grabs him, leaping faster than usual. "Bro, what the-holy crap!"

The big yellow dinosaur has skidded back under a bridge and the Parrotmon's very body is glowing an unnatural shade of blue. Flamon drops him and he runs to where the girl is frantically trying to pull her brother away.

"Koromon can do it!" he yells and Tatsuya almost groans and he really wishes Flamon would get over his holding people thing for someone other than him so they could just  _go-_

There's a loud buzzing noise and as Flamon strikes the bird in the stomach, it's managed to fire.

Down comes the bridge, and down comes the dinosaur on the three of them.


	18. 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I completely forgot to post the update here last time, whoops. Anyway, the fic is fully written, and I thank you guys for all of your incredible support thus far!

18.

Hikari cringes in expectation of pain. It doesn't arrive and she shifts, feeling Tatsuya's arms and Taichi's squirming.

"Nee-san, leggo..."

Hikari doesn't answer. She's staring over Tatsuya's orange hair up at Koromon. "He's not yellow now..."

Taichi and Tatsuya follow her eyes, and Taichi's mouth drops open in utter awe. "Whoa..."

"I think 'not yellow' doesn't even  _begin_ to cover it," Tatsuya mutters. The creature covering them is no longer a small yellow dinosaur, but almost an orange dragon. It shakes off the rubble with ease and once again ruby red eyes stare down at them all.

Taichi grins in his childhood delight, but Hikari continues to stare. She lifts her small hand towards Koromon, or whatever Koromon is now.

"Just being friendly," she says softly. "Right?" Something in his big eye softens, and she lowers her hand. "Be careful, okay?"

She doesn't know if he understands or not, but he charges forward, eyes no longer on her, but engaged with the giant bird. Claws and talons catch and the earth dents.

Taichi whoops. "Go Koromon!"

Flamon picks himself up from the wall and jumps towards them. Flame strikes lightning and Flamon knocks debris aside, moving between them. Tatsuya pulls them down again to Taichi's chagrin.

"I wanna see!" he shouts and Tatsuya almost whacks him.

"I don't want you to lose an eye!"

There's a crackling near his ear then, like the static of a walkie talkie. "We've found a way! Get ready!"

Tatsuya shifts, looking at the two children, whose eyes are rapt on the falling feathers and dripping blood. He hesitates. Can he believe they will be all right? No, no he cannot. He places his hand in one pocket, preparing to tell them no.

"Koromon!" Hikari suddenly pushes away from Tatsuya, only to watch in terror as Koromon's large body flies to the ground.

At the sound of the large crash, Taichi begins to cry.


	19. 19

19.

It isn't the crash that pulls Hikari from her stupor, but her brother's fierce, racking sobs. Her brother rarely cries, even though he's so small you would think he'd shed thousands of tears a week. Only when he's angry does he even come close to that.

So to hear him sob like that is a bowling ball to her stomach. It almost makes her crumble, but hearing that sound makes Hikari realize that she  _can't_. She forces herself back to her feet (the crash had knocked her back onto her bottom) and begins her stumbling trek forward. Hikari doesn't look at the giant bird. If she does, she'll stop. She knows she will.

The air is buzzing and crackling. So much noise, like power tools in a closed off garage.

But she keeps shuffling, moving as fast as she can so she spooks no one.

When she reaches Koromon's scales, he is lukewarm, bath water gone bad. She catches the sob in her throat mid-heave

"You need to run," whispers Flamon from where she can't see. "He's going to fire again, you need to run."

"I can't run!" she says. "Taichi's crying."

"Crying is better than dead!"

Hikari manages a nice glare where she thinks the large creature is. She knows he's right, she knows that she should be back there with the other two. Instead she places her tiny hands on Koromon's frozen face and pushes, beats her fists, anything she can do.

"Koromon!" she cries. "You have to wake up! This isn't like Miko, you've gotta get up or he's gonna hurt you! Get up!" She feels her chest threatening to heave and swallows it again. This time it hurts, and her eyes water, but she does it. "Koromon!"

He doesn't move, but she continues, her frail voice the only thing louder than the noise in her ears. She barely feels Taichi run up beside her, barely hears him shout. But she does see Tatsuya's older, stronger hands lift hers away, and place something in her palms.

She looks up at him and Taichi is coughing a little as he stops to gather air. Tatsuya smiles, even as Flamon appears with a thump.

"My good luck charm," the older boy says. "I think you can use it better."

Curious, Hikari unfurls her fingers to see a small piece of plastic. She looks up again, and he smiles. Taichi is coughing still, tears starting to ebb.

Everything has fallen silent, even the lightning.

So Hikari takes a deep breath, and lets the whistle shriek.


	20. 20

20.

For a moment, the world falls silent again. The whistle fades into it, like the last note of a song.

Then the ground near them lurches. Koromon's large tail swishes. His feet shift

Taichi lets out a raspy whoop of joy and Hikari pulls him away with her to stand behind Flamon. She doesn't really have to because Koromon's body rising is enough to get even Taichi to skitter back, cheering loud enough to wake the dead. The whistle's strap is clutched in her free fist. Innocent, as though it holds no great power.

And yet...

_It worked._

Koromon straightens and charges again. His claws are raised and the bird's talons rise to meet him. They crash together, like keys to locks. Koromon swipes his tail, hit with a wing. They break apart, lunge again. The air fills with caws and giant green feathers. They separate again, then lunge. Blood drips, red dropsalmost making craters of the street. They separate again, strike again. It is so loud, their ears actually hurt Then, with a screeching roar, the bird flies backwards into the nearby bridge. Koromon stomps forward and a great white burst of flame erupts from his maw.

It engulfs the air, the sky, all of their sight. Even sound is eclipsed in it. Hikari can't shut her eyes, but she can feel something floating away, two somethings, many somethings.

She hears a whisper in her ear. "Keep that for me for a while, okay?"

She feels herself nod.

Another whisper in her heart.  _"Thank you."_

She squeezes her eyes shut. Not this.

When Hikari opens her eyes again, the street is empty and in ruins. There are no monsters anywhere, and even the blood is no longer there.. Tatsuya is gone too.

Taichi has slumped in her arms, out cold. Perhaps the attack knocked him out.

For some reason, Hikari begins to cry. She cries until it hurts to breathe.

Then she hefts her brother onto her back and starts to walk.


	21. 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Honestly I could have left this at 20 but I think this explains an important thing about Taichi for Light. And Hikari, actually. So, here's the last one, thanks for sticking it out with me! Please read and comment and keep an eye out for the updates to come!

21.

In the police station, Hikari sits with her head on her knees. Taichi remains asleep in one of the plastic chairs. The whistle hangs around her neck, like it was meant to be there.

She ignores it, just stares at the wall. She waits.

She is tired, but she won't sleep.

Not until  _they_  get here.

Not until they are able to take care of Taichi.

And they will be here. They are not horrible people, just parents.

So she waits, and thinks of Koromon, and rubs her eyes.

When they arrive, Hikari doesn't move. She doesn't want to move. Now that her parents have Taichi, she wants to go back to the bridge. She wants to look for Koromon.

He didn't say goodbye. He said  _thank you_. Why?

It shouldn't bother her. It was over now.

But it isn't.

She knows that when she sees the clock on the wall begin to go backwards.

When Taichi wakes up at home, he asks what happened to his pajamas, all torn at the bottom. He asks what happened to their room.

Hikari lies. A thief got into the house. Taichi only forgot.

He says he dreamed of dinosaurs in big eggs.

Hikari tells him he needs to  _eat_  more eggs.

Let it be a dream for Taichi. Let it be a bad dream for their parents.

That long night is over anyway.


End file.
